Snowplow



C. SPEER SNOWPLOW 55 Sheets-Sheet 1 r W I .P M r M m a Iiii 3 7, Q

law. No

Feb. 24, 1931. c, spa- R 1,793,523

SNOWPLOW FiledJuly 29, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 of the roadway as desired. 15

Pjatented Feb. 24,1931

CLARENCE srnnn, or SAN Francisco, CALIFORNIA sivowrrow I iepplicatipnfiled .ruiyae; 1929. s ri no. 381, 66.

Myinvention relates to improvements in:

snow plows for removing snowfrom roadways and the like wherein an elevating 0on veyor is mounted upon a carriage with its lower end movable along the ground to pick up snow and carry the same to a'delive'ry conveyor movable to deliver said snow rear wardly or toeither side ofthe carriage.

-The primary object is to provide an iniproved snow'plow for road use. I

Another ob ect is to prov de an improved snow plow operablet-o clear a wide path and to deliver snow rearwa dly or to either side -A further object is to provide an improved machine of the character described wherein an elevating conveyor movable in advance of'a carriage for elevating snow from the ground-is pivotally movable upon vertical and horizontal axes to permit steering along a desired course and to conform to irregu larities in the surface of ground to be cleared.

' A still further object isto provide an improved machine of the character. described having power means for actuating the several mechanisms and for propelling the machine along the ground, and which is self contained and efficient in operation.

I accomplish these and other objects by means of the improved device disclosed in the drawings forming a part of the present application wherein like character sot' reference are used to designate Sll'illliil parts throughout the specification and drawings, and in which- V Fig. 1 is a broken plan view of my improved snow plow;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation,'parts being broken away and shown in longitudinalver tical section; i

scale;

Fig; 3is a brokentransverse vertical sec- 'tional detail of the hopper, and disclosing v the driving connections to the delivery conveyor, the figure being drawn upon a larger Fig. 4 is a rear end elevation of'thema-i chine, the delivery conveyor being turned to deliver snowlaterally from onesideof'the i machine; and

- Fig. 5 isa broken transverse {vertical sec-I tion disclosing the mounting and driving connections for the front elevating conveyor.

Referring to the drawings, the numerall s used to designate in general a carriage preferably comprising awheel supported frame ofsuitable sizeand construction. An elevating conveyordesignated in general by the n 2 is mou'nted upon the forward e carriage 1 by means of a yoke 8 -.aving upwardly extending arms 4;. The yoke sis pivotally movable relativeio'the carriage upona vertical axis, as "at 6, and

upperdriving shaft 7 is rotatablymounted upon the upper ends of the arms 4."

TheconveyorQ comprises 'a-plurality of endless conveyor members mounted over sprockets 8 secured upon the shaft 7, each member being provided with a plurality of conveyor buckets 9 secured thereon. The

outer en s of the buckets 9 upon the-outer conveyor inembersare formed to pro ect out wardly in overhanging relation to the edges. 1

Spikes 11 are mounted in rows upon the con- "veyormembers to project outwardly at sub,

stantially right angles to the surface of said members between the buckets 9 of each member. The conveyor member 2 extends around sprockets 12 secured upon a lower shaft 13 mounted through the ends of arms 1 1 pivoiially mounted their upper ends upon the shaft 7. Rollers 16 are mounted upon the shaft 13, areferably' ietween cent-conveyor members to support-thel fwer 1 ends, of conveyors upon the ground.

The conveyor 2 inclines from the ground in front of the carriage to a point above the body of the carriage. A hopper 17 is mounted upon tiie body of the carriage below the upper end of the conveyor 2. The hopper 17 is rotatablysupported upon thecarveyor members being provided with s r conveyor buckets 28.

riage 1 by means of rollers 18 engaged within an annular channel guide 19 secured to thframeof the carriage. the hopper is provided with a fiaringflange 21. A. delivery conveyor designated in general by the numeral 22 moun ed'above the rearward portion of the carriage 1. The con veyor 22 preferably consists of a pair ofendless conveyor members mounted over sprock-- ets 23 and 24 secured upon lower shafts 26 and an upper shaft 27 respectively, said are mounted within upper shaft 2;

the hopper 17. The is moun" ed upon the upper ends of arms 29 havin theirlowcr ends 'engaging the shafts 2611i brace 36 i secured o l L er 7 and exten'led into en 'aQe t the no; i 1 p b p 31-extend1ng between ment with astay rod the arms 23 to supporothe conveyor in a slightly inclined position. The conveyor 22 is movable through an o iening 3; formed in the flan ed side of the hop-oer 17 and is movb r .11 l able with said hopper when the same is retated upon the rollers 18. v

1 a 7 y: The plow is operated by means 01 a suit.- able source of power such as an internal combustion engine 33 mounted upon the carriage, preferably upon the rearward portion of the carriage frame. Power-1s direct:-

ed from the engine 33 through a suitable sprockets 41 secured upon a driving shaft having a pinion 43 meshing with a bevel gear 44 upon a shaft 45 driven by a similar gear and pinion 46 and 47 actuated by a suitable driving connection 48 connected to the main shaft 37 through a suitable clutch 49.

The delivery conveyor 22 is driven by means of a bevel gear 51 secured upon the driving connection 48 and meshing with a gear 52 secured upon a hollow shaft 53 extending upwardly through the cent-er of the hopper 17. Oppositely faced bevel gears 54 and 55 are secured upon the shaft 53 and meshing with gears 56 and 57 respectively secured upon the shafts 26. The inner ends of the shafts 26 are supported by a collar 58 v a mounted upon a reduced portion of the shaft The gears 55 and 57 are made sufficiently larger than the gears 54 and 56 to clear the latter, both of said sets of gears operating simultaneously to,drive the conveyor members associated therewith in the same direc tion and at the same speed.

The hopper 17 is provided with an an- The upper end of The lower share; 26

nular gear ring 61 engaged by a pinion 62 se- 7 cured upon a shaft 63 provided with oppositely facing bevel pinions 64 rotatably mounted thereon. A bevel gear 65 is secured upon the shaft 36 in meshing relation with both of the pinions 64 to drive the same suitable clutch member 66 is feathered upon the shaft 63 and adapted to be moved from a normal neutral'position permitting free rotation of both pinions 64 to operative positions locking either of said pinions to the shaft 63 whereby the pinion 62 and ring gear 61 may be actuated to turn the hopper 17- and the delivery conveyor ineither direction about a vertical axis through the center-of the hopper.

A platform 67 is mounted fupon supports 68 secured upon the frame of the carriage 1 andefiending over the hopper 17 with suitable clearance between said hopper and the elevating conveyor 2. The supports rest upon a yoke 70 carriedby the hopper 17 and rotatably movable relative to the'platform and its supports 68.; An operators seat 69 is mountedupon the platform 67, a shield'71 being mounted between the platform andthe deliveryend of. the elevating conveyor 2 to deflect snow delivered by said conveyor clownwardly into the hopper; Control pedals 72, 7 3, and 7 4 are mounted upon the platform and connected to the clutch members34, 49, and 66 by suitable connecting means 75, 76, and 77 respectively, whereby said clutches may be, readily actuated and controlled by the operator. V a

{A steering post 78 extends upwardly through the hollow shaft 53, saidpost being provided with a suitable steering wheel 79 at its upper end and with a worm gear 80 at its bottom. A gear "81 is mounted within a suitable housing 82in meshing relation with the worm gear 80 to actuate a shaft 83 and steering arm 84adapted to steer the carriage 1 by means'of a suitable drag link 85 in the ordinary manner.

In operatlon, the carriageis propelled forwardly along .a path from whlch snow is to be cleared with the elevating conveyor inclining downwardly to the front and with the rollers 16 resting upon the ground so that the buckets 9 will just clear the ground when the conveyor is in operation. When the clutch 49 is moved to deliver power from the main shaft 37 to the shaft 45, the conveyor is driven in the direction indicated by the arrow, thereby causing the buckets 9 to pick 7 up snow from the ground and deliver the same overthe top of the conveyor into the hopper 17. The spikes llloosen the snow as the carriage 1 and conveyor 2 are advanced along the path to be cleared, and the loosened snow is picked up across the full width of the conveyor to provide an adequate clearance upon the sides of the carriage.

simultaneously in opposite directions Ag As the snow is delivered into thehopper 17, the delivery conveyor 22, actuated simultaneously with the conveyor2 through its driving connections to the shaft 45 as above described, operates to remove the snow from the hopper. width than the conveyor 2, is actuated at a correspondingly greater speed so that the as desired. Thus, if the path to be cleared of snow is so located that the snow removed may be dumped along one side, the hopper 17 and conveyor 22 are turned to a position such as shown in Fig. 4 and in dotted lines in Figs.

7 1, 2, and 3. If the snow is to be removed,

the conveyor is shifted to its rearwardly eX- tending position, as shown in full lines in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the pivotal mounting and actuating means by which the hopper and conveyor are turned, permitting said hopper and conveyor to be readily turned to deliver thesnow in a desired direction.

As the elevating conveyor 2 is advanced along the path to be cleared, the rollers 16 cause the lower end of the conveyor to be moved to conform to irregularities in the surface being traversed, the entire conveyor being moved pivotally upon the horizontal shaft 7 as a pivot. In steering the carriage along its path, the resistance of the snow against the front of the conveyor 2 will normally hold said conveyor in its course directly in front of the carriage. hen the forward wheels of the carriage are turned to right or left, the pivotal movement of the yoke 3 relative to the frame of the carriage 1 causes the direction of the propelling force to be shifted so that as the machine is further advanced the conveyor will be moved in an angular relation to the carriage and thereby shifted to the right or left as desired. After the conveyor has been shifted to the desired position, the forward wheelsof the carriage are moved to straighten the machine to its desired course, and to direct the propelling force to the conveyor along said course. The width of the path cut by the conveyor is such as to afford ample clearance of manipulating the carriage'in back of the conveyor 2 to shift said conveyor and steer the machine along a roadway to be cleared of snow.

While I have illustrated and described my improved snow plow only in what I now regard as its preferred embodiment, the specificd-etails of construction and arrangement are of course subject to modification in numerous ways without departing from the spirit of my invention. I therefore do not The conveyor 22, being of less 7 wish to restrict myself to the specific con-j struction disclosed, but desire to avail myself of all modifications which may fall withi elevatthe yoke; arms pivotally' mounted at one" end thereof upon the driving shaft; a lower shaft mounted upon the opposite ends or 1 the arms; endless conveying means mounted over the shafts and provlded with elevating buckets; and rollers mounted upon the lower 7 shaft and supporting thelower end of the conveyor upon the ground in advance of the carriage, the arms and conveying means swinging freely from the upper shaft to conform to irregularities in the surface of the ground.

2. In a snow plow, a carriage, an elevating conveyor comprising a supporting yoke mounted upon the front of the carriage; an upper driving haft mounted upon the yoke; arms each pivotally mounted at one end thereof upon the driving shaft; a lower shaftmounted upon the opposite ends of the arms; a plurality ofendless conveyor members mounted in spaced parallel relation over the shafts and actuated by the upper driving shaft and each provided with a plurality of conveyor buckets; and rollers mounted upon the lower shaft between adjacent conveyor members and supporting the lower end of the conveyor'upon the ground in advance of the carriage.

3. In a snow plow, a carriage, an elevating conveyor comprising a supporting yoke mounted upon the front of, the carriage; an upper driving shaft mounted upon the yoke; arms each pivotally mounted at one end thereof. upon 1 the driving shaft; a lower shaft mounted upon the opposite ends of the arms; a plurality of endlessconveyor members mounted in spaced parallel relation over the shafts and actuated by the upper driving shaft and each provided with a plurality of conveyor buckets, the outer edges of the outer buckets being flared and extending outwardly past the outer arms; rollers mounted upon the lower shaft between the conveyor members and supporting the lower end of the conveyor upon the ground in advance of the carriage with thebucketsclearing the surface of the ground, the arms and conj 

